Much has been made of the Oilers jersey that came flying out of the stands and landed on the ice on Saturday against the Blues. Never mind that it was probably the fastest moving thing in an Oilers jersey the entire night, this isn't the way to protest the current state of the team.

We can totally understand the thinking behind whipping the ol' Blue and Orange onto the ice. The Oilers are flat out brutal and the 2,502 management types employed by Kay-Z seem more out of touch than ever, doddering about in the press box night after night and peering down with deer in the headlights looks.

They aren't exactly addressing the needs of the team or the fans who continue to trudge through biblical snow storms to Rexall Place or forgo watching documentaries on Netflix in favour of tuning into Oilers games. The players themselves seem about as interested in winning as that team that gets trotted out against the Harlem Globetrotters.

We totally understand the rage that generates. Sooner or later protests are going to begin in earnest and that has to be expected by anyone with a functioning cerebral cortex.

But throwing the jersey on the ice? That ain't the play.

PRIDE

The Oilers jersey represents all Oilers of all time. By throwing a jersey on the ice at Rexall you are throwing Gretzky's league wide retired 99 on the ice. You are throwing Bill Ranford's 30 that stopped so many sure goals so long ago, You are throwing the 39 Doug Weight wore that year he had 104 points and blew all our minds in the process. You are throwing the 21 Jason Smith wore as he blocked shot after shot with his front teeth.

It's what hundreds of now forgotten players sweated and bled for over the years and the 2013-14 Oilers stinking out the joint again doesn't mean that you should spit in the face of all these soldiers and dishonour their pride and effort in the process. They deserve better,

There is literally nothing the current half assed Oilers squad can do to diminish what the Champions that came before them have accomplished and I for one will never lose my pride in those players and the teams that wore the jersey before them.

GRIM TIMES THESE

Sadder than the scoreboard on Saturday night, the knowledge all of HNIC just watched the Oil embarass themselves yet again or all the empty seats was this scene we (illegally most likely) captured as we were filing out of Rexall Place.

This poor lil kiddo was a few rows in front of us and seemed quite upset at the Oilers getting shelled. At the end of the game she was very animated and it was only the efforts of her Dad chanelling the leadership of Jason Smith that ultimately talked her off the ledge.

It was quite the heartbreaking scene to witness.

At least we are all adults to some degree. It's the children that we feel bad for who come to the game in their finest lil Oilers jerseys with the unreasonable expectations of kids today - see a hockey game worth watching and her Oilers win. She doesn't understand rebuilds, timing good teams for new arenas or assessing team needs that haven't changed for the 7th consecutive season.

It's a good thing her dad had the character of Jason Smith to call on and wasn't wearing a Nilsson jersey or that of a lesser man.

So spazz on twitter or here on the Nation until you feel some mild relief. Send Kevin Lowe a platinum membership to Monster.com and wish him good job hunting if you like. Refuse to fill your recent prescription for life saving medication because you don't want to support Daryl Katz any further. Reasonable people are reaching their breaking point we totally get this.

Very well said... say whatever you want but the only time a jersey should hit the ice is after a big tilt. We dont have to respect the guys wearing the jersey or whoever is giving them jobs, but always have respect for the jersey

I'll take the point a few steps further: If you're the kind of fan who throws a $150 jersey onto the ice after a loss, then you're also the kind of fan who probably needs to take a break from watching sports for a little while.

Mr. Jersey Tosser is having some troubles differentiating between Actual Real Life Problems ... and the Sports-Related Melodrama we've become (in)famous for in North America.

Your'e right. One jersey is not the way to go. Now all you need is a group of fans throwing their jerseys over all at once. Respect the jersey? This isn't the 80s anymore. This organization is a joke and deserves no respect.

Homie I wasnt even a sentient being in the 80s and I still have heaps of respect for the teams since then

You're right Wanye. Thanks for writing that article. The Jersey transcends the player. There are few untouchables in the game but the Jersey is definitely one. We don't need those fans. Or the fans that condone it. It's the respect factor.
I'd rather a half empty rink of real fans than a rink full of wagon-jumpers.

There's a team about 180 miles south that probably doesn't care if you wipe the snow off your skates with their jersey. Go join them.

I'm not kissing Wanye's butt or that of anyone who thinks the jersey shouldn't hit the ice or the floor because it's some sort of important symbol.

All I'm saying is a little bigger-picture perspective is probably needed here.

I was at that game on Saturday when the jersey hit the ice and my reaction wasn't that of a frustrated Oilers fan ... rather, it was one of someone who just watched someone toss an expensive jersey onto the ice in a temper tantrum - four days before Christmas. Just seems like a waste to me.

There are lots of little kids who'd love a hockey jersey for Christmas and they're not likely to get one ... but meanwhile some grandstander throws one onto the ice because his team lost a meaningless game in December and he figures, what the heck, it's the late-game on HNIC, after all.

Put it this way: If I'd done that in front of my folks when I was a kid (or hell, as an adult), it would have been my last act on this planet. You never waste something you paid hard-earned dollars for ... and you never let entertainment get the best of you.

If that sounds quaint or old-fashioned or sanctimonious, so be it. Someone needs to point out the absurdity of the act.

Don't get me wrong, I do sympathize with the frustration, but the act is just so lame and wasteful.

If you're frustrated to the point that you'll throw money over the glass, stop going to the games. If you're holding single-tickets, sell them online. They'll go fast. If you're a season ticketholder, cancel them or send them back to the team - I'm sure they will be takers for them as it's my understanding that there's a rather long waitlist for season tickets in E-town.

That jersey should never have hit the ice, and I'm afraid it will lead to copycat actions. That being said, if this is the end of it (it never happens again, EVER), i think it might have been just the statement that needed to be made.

Wanye probably makes his living off of Oiler fan interest from his mother's basement so it's no surprise he'll be the "Go Oilers go!" cheerleader for life. Same with all the rest of them. They need the Oilers.

If Oiler fan interest goes down, so will OilersNation traffic.. And then Wanye will look onwards to find new ways to fund his basement dwelling.

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HOMIE THIS SITE COSTS ME MONEY EVERY MONTH YOU NITWIT

Wanye probably makes his living off of Oiler fan interest from his mother's basement so it's no surprise he'll be the "Go Oilers go!" cheerleader for life. Same with all the rest of them. They need the Oilers.

If Oiler fan interest goes down, so will OilersNation traffic.. And then Wanye will look onwards to find new ways to fund his basement dwelling.

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HOMIE THIS SITE COSTS ME MONEY EVERY MONTH YOU NITWIT

calling a fellow oilers fan a nitwit shows that you do not really respect your readers as you said that people could come on here and "spazz" (just don't throw sweaters). The name calling is pretty pathetic Wanye!

Any credibility you had, started flying with this article and then slammed the door behind you with the namecalling....apologies???

Holy thin skinned-ness! It's come to this? Frustration to the point that you're calling out Wanye? What a bunch of self-entitled, cry babies! I love hockey and the Oilers but seriously people - it's hockey! "Oh poor us ... we've wasted $5k ... $20k ... $100k on Oilers tickets and THIS is how THEY treat us!?!?!?" ...oh to have such problems.

The past 7 years have sucked - no doubt! But the whining and belly-aching on here is no better than Lowe's idiocy. Yeesh!!!

I don't mind what Eakins said about the fan throwing the jersey. Eakins isn't stupid and is well spoken so he obviously knew exactly what he was saying and the reaction he would get. He just wanted to take the heat off his players who are a hurting group judging by what taylor hall has been saying lately. So if I play for the oilers I look at what Eakins did for them and go bust my balls tonight against the Winnipeg Jets!!!

I only come by to indulge in some Schadenfruede. Thanks for being passionate Oiler fans. Your loyalty fuels the reign of incompetence that exists from the top down. Some rich kid stokes his ego with the purchase of the home town team and has no concept of what it takes to run a franchise. As long as you are talking, visiting this site or others , complaining about the Oilers I can relish in your misery. Please never let DK hear crickets, indifference or closed wallets. Bless all of you and Merry Christmas.

Your'e right. One jersey is not the way to go. Now all you need is a group of fans throwing their jerseys over all at once. Respect the jersey? This isn't the 80s anymore. This organization is a joke and deserves no respect.

I worked online up until 2007, and had my own website that was dependent on advertising revenue.

I fully believe Wanye when he says the site costs him money. Not the bandwidth or servers - those are minor costs - but what he pays the authors. I'm absolutely certain the writers he get paid. Probably not very much, even, but if it's less than $100/article I will be surprised, and there's no way it's less than $50/per. Even college kids don't work for that kind of money.

I wouldn't be so sure about that. The writers, the articles they write here would practically be advertisements for their own program, be it a radio station or newspaper. It's featuring someone's work to an audience that can then chose to tune into their station or read their papers, that's where the gain comes in. You don't need to get paid for that.

Respect the jersey? Why did people die to save people's lives for it? It it turn the tide over a great Army? Stop terrorists? throw those overpriced symbols of ineptitude on the ice. Burn them in front of the gretzky statue. They have become a symbol of Absent ownership and greed. It is a symbol of the lies Katz, Lowe and MacT have been telling us.

Respect the Jersey? Give your head a shake man. Or you have finally killed the last of your brain cells from all the boozing it requires to be a fan of this Sh&t team?

I have been a fan since '79 paid thousands of dollars through tickets concessions and merchandise. I believe myself and each and every fan, regardless of amount spent, have every right to send the message these ways.

Wanye HAD to write this article before fans on this site decided to organize something rash like a mass jersey throwing or an ad in the Edmonton journal. Like it or not but Wanye needs his non-MSM site to still have some good favor with the Oilers otherwise he'll lose access and possibly sponsors. While he may secretly agree with throwing a jersey on the ice, he needs to protect himself first by stating to everyone to NOT do it...

How dare you Dallas in calling out a fan for being a "quitter"? wtf do you call your team when they quit on you after the first period last game? you a*&hole!!! you have been here for 40 games, and have no idea how passionate the fans are in Edmonton, you havent earned the right to call anyone out in this city until you win a god damn thing. IDIOT!!!! I hope you did this because you know you are getting fired soon..moron. The fan that threw this jersey is a blue collar, hardworking individual who even admitted in the paper that he's not quitting on his team, he was just frustrated like the rest of us are. Screw you Eakins!!! and screw the whole management team in Oiler nation. The reason you eat,is beacuse of the tickets we buy. done ranting..am sorry if I offended any loyal fans on this site! Merry F*&^% Christmas!!!!

Shows you how much money this city has and how tierd of this crap this city is.. Some fans Throw rats or seafood.. We do it the pricy way.. name and numbered jersey..wow..
It coulda been a drunk fan saying ahh eff it.. or could it be a 20 year season ticket holder throwing in the towel.. after spending thousands of dollars on the team over the years with nothing but last place and first overall picks with no light at the end of the tunnel to show for it... The players deserve better????? gimme a break.. THE FANS DESERVE MUCH MUCH BETTER!!!!!!!!!!!! And as for Eakins call that fan a quitter..... he needs to look in that locker room as see who has done the same.......

I hate to say it. But I disagree. It's a small form of protest. It's throwing away a piece of merchandise not spitting on the legend of previous players, it's not burning a flag in town square. People hassling Eakins family goes wayyyy too far. But a thrown jersey is small, harmless, and well done in my opinion.

Wanye I couldn't disagree with you more. Don't become an oil fart catcher and start making excuses. I put more that 200g into tickets over the many years of season tickets I have had and if I want to toss the overpriced garbage where it belongs, I will do it.

It TOTALLY is the right thing to do to a club that has DISRESPECTED all of us and continues to not give one freaking iota of thought to the people supporting this gong show.

Sacrificing one piece of over-priced fabric on HNIC is the loudest message the fans could utter, aside from chanting "fire ____!" all night long.

It's easy to blame a fan for throwing the history and pride of the crest away, but he's not. He's the one having the balls to call the oilers bluff. The fact is that management, players, and coaches are the ones ACTUALLY throwing history into the fire here. The fans are showing up, paying money, doing their part.

The jersey on the ice was a mirror image of what this franchise has become.

The organization is the one throwing that history onto the ice. Fans are helpless.

The fan that threw his jersey on the ice is the most loyal fan and deserves more respect then low or Katz. Good for him for taking a stand and becoming something that fans can rally for. This team is brutal and I am embarrassed to be a oiler fan. Makes me sick.

"whoever threw that jersey on the ice, they're out, they've given up. They're a quitter. We don't want that here......." -Dallas Eakins

Shall I go on????

Let's see who's out first.......the guy who through the jersey....or Eakins.......what an amateurish remark! You fcuk with the guy who threw the sweater....you fcuk with all of us!.....we'll see who lasts longer dipsh*t...

Edit: and a Very Merry Christmas to everyone...peace on earth and goodwill toward men.

Wayne,i respect your opinion but completely disagree with it. While in the extreme, this fan, in one decisive, BOLD, action (more than I can say for the team) sent a message that the team clearly heard.

This version of the team doesn't deserve the fans' respect. From Kevin Lowe dividing the fans into two classes and callously referencing his Cup rings to Eakins having the gall and lack of brains in calling out the jersey throwing fan a quitter, this team has shown an unequivocal lack of respect to the fan base.

Everyone on that team should be pilloried for this season and rightly so until there is a modicum of respect shown towards the fans and a proper sign of contrition for the crap this season.

As someone has said, that act by the fan, said more than a million tweets could. Hurrah to that fan!!!!

I'm not kissing Wanye's butt or that of anyone who thinks the jersey shouldn't hit the ice or the floor because it's some sort of important symbol.

All I'm saying is a little bigger-picture perspective is probably needed here.

I was at that game on Saturday when the jersey hit the ice and my reaction wasn't that of a frustrated Oilers fan ... rather, it was one of someone who just watched someone toss an expensive jersey onto the ice in a temper tantrum - four days before Christmas. Just seems like a waste to me.

There are lots of little kids who'd love a hockey jersey for Christmas and they're not likely to get one ... but meanwhile some grandstander throws one onto the ice because his team lost a meaningless game in December and he figures, what the heck, it's the late-game on HNIC, after all.

Put it this way: If I'd done that in front of my folks when I was a kid (or hell, as an adult), it would have been my last act on this planet. You never waste something you paid hard-earned dollars for ... and you never let entertainment get the best of you.

If that sounds quaint or old-fashioned or sanctimonious, so be it. Someone needs to point out the absurdity of the act.

Don't get me wrong, I do sympathize with the frustration, but the act is just so lame and wasteful.

If you're frustrated to the point that you'll throw money over the glass, stop going to the games. If you're holding single-tickets, sell them online. They'll go fast. If you're a season ticketholder, cancel them or send them back to the team - I'm sure they will be takers for them as it's my understanding that there's a rather long waitlist for season tickets in E-town.

Agreed dude. And if I've read correctly he didn't pay for it. A gift given to him. If that is true then it doesnt show much appreciation to who gave it to him. If it was his that he bought then it is a free country but definately waste. I gave two replica oiler jerseys that are the cheaper 100 dollar variety. One of them is the one designed by the comic book dude. I would NEVER throw them out no matter what. Cost hard earned cash to buy it, dont have the funds to replace it. If the dude that did this has the cash to just buy a new one then maybe he should be donating to charities where the money would go to better use than a wasted jersey from a poor sport fan. People bash the oilers mgmt team for not making changes but I doubt any of the naysayers could do better. If you think improving this team is as simple as making a phone call for a trade you are sadly mistaken. There's other things involved. People need to get real on a lot of these issues.

Shows you how much money this city has and how tierd of this crap this city is.. Some fans Throw rats or seafood.. We do it the pricy way.. name and numbered jersey..wow..
It coulda been a drunk fan saying ahh eff it.. or could it be a 20 year season ticket holder throwing in the towel.. after spending thousands of dollars on the team over the years with nothing but last place and first overall picks with no light at the end of the tunnel to show for it... The players deserve better????? gimme a break.. THE FANS DESERVE MUCH MUCH BETTER!!!!!!!!!!!! And as for Eakins call that fan a quitter..... he needs to look in that locker room as see who has done the same.......

How much respect has this ownership or management group shown these amazing fans?!

How much respect do the players on this team show to the jersey or the fans by performing (see: completely embarrassing themselves and this city) pitifully on HNIC, the holy grail of televised hockey?

Keep the jerseys coming. Next time, maybe covered in something that rhymes with spit.

This team charges some of the highest prices for tickets, beer, and food in the entire league and are treated year after year to performances like that.

Keep the jerseys coming. Maybe a rebuild from the top down is the only thing that will help. Katz signed a 30 year agreement to keep the team here, no? Keep the jerseys coming and let's see some attendance numbers like we did in the 90s. Let's see Katz's new arena open to 9000 fans.

1 jersey is a great start and has already started To send a message. Let's keep the jerseys coming.